Operation: Kids In America
by Kit Kat Kidd 2004
Summary: Some minor curse words, but I'm happy with it. It's hard to describe, just read. Oh, and I DO NOT OWN ARNOLD. Believe me, if I did...well, let's just say, Helga wouldn't be hiding anything.
1. Chapter 1: History Class

Operation: Kids In America Chapter 1: History Class  
  
It was a bright spring morning in Hillwood City and the fourth grade classes at PS: 118 were going on a field trip to the Hillwood City Museum of History. Mr. Simmons sighed as his class finally fell silent and began to listen to both him and the tour guide. Arnold yawned as the group went into the ancient Egyptian section of the museum. Gerald groaned as the tour guide began to talk about the embalming process. "Man, Arnold. This trip would have been worth staying in school for. It's really boring here." "No kidding." Arnold stated and looked around. Suddenly his face lit up and he narrowed his eyes mischievously at the door in the far end of the hallway. He tapped Gerald lightly on the shoulder and smiled. "What do you say we do a little exploring on our own?" Gerald gave Arnold a look. "And risk getting caught, given detention, have our parents called, made to do a thousand page essay and scrub the bathroom floors of the girls' bathroom for two weeks?" Arnold shrugged and Gerald's smile rose from ear to ear. "Count me in, man." He stated and the two boys quickly slinked off. Helga growled under her breath at her classmates as they left the group. Suddenly an idea popped into her head and she grabbed Phoebe's wrist, gently tugging her towards the boys. "Phoebe, come on." Helga said as she felt Phoebe resist. She turned to face her best friend and gave her a scowl. "But, Helga. I want to hear this. I've always been interested in the ancient process of embalming." Helga rolled her eyes and released her from her grasp. "Okay, but if you don't come with me, Gerald might run into some other girl and forget all about sweet little you. You'd loose a friend and a boyfriend to some ditzy sixth grader who would give him anything he ever wanted." Phoebe's ears perked up at this. Her eyes narrowed and she grabbed Helga's hand. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!" She snapped. Helga smiled triumphantly at her knowledge of Phoebe's weakness for Gerald Martin Johanssen. The two girls quickly ran off after the boys. Brainy watched as Helga, Phoebe, Gerald and Arnold ran off towards the farthest door on the other side of the room, ducking behind exhibits of mummies, pottery and jewelry. He wheezed and looked back at Mr. Simmons, who had his back turned away from the class, and decided to follow Helga, the girl he had a crush on. He melted into the shadows and swiftly followed them. Rhonda grunted as she saw five of her classmates running away from the lecture. She hated not being a part of anything and so grabbed Nadine and Lila's wrists and yanked them along with her. Lila tried to protest but was cut off by Nadine's hand being clamped over her mouth. Rhonda turned around and put a finger to her lips, hushing Lila. She nodded and the three girls followed their classmates. Harold, Sid and Stinky quickly followed, trying to stay hidden in the shadows. They hated history as much as anyone in the class and were not about to be left behind to stare at old sarcophaguses and ancient texts. Pretty soon Lorenzo, Curly, Iggy, Eugene and Sheena had joined the other kids, leaving only Park, who was staring at an ancient text, Robert, who was listening intently to Mr. Simmons, and Billy, who was staring awed at an ancient sarcophagus.  
  
Arnold smiled as he and Gerald walked into the ancient Greek section of the museum. "That was too easy." He said and turned a corner. He grunted as he hit someone and fell backwards. He looked up and saw Helga, sitting on the floor, rubbing her hip. "Helga?" He cried out. "Arnold!" She asked, her heart racing. Suddenly she shook her head realizing Gerald and Phoebe were near. A scowl replaced her goofy grin and she glared at Arnold. "I mean, why don't you ever watch where you're going, Football Head?" She hissed. "What are you two doing here?" Gerald asked, helping Arnold stand up. Helga grunted as Phoebe helped her stand up. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and turned away from the two boys. "We're the ones who should be asking you that very same question." She spat in her most venomous voice. "We asked first." Arnold said, clenching his fists at his side. Helga shot a look at him and smiled wickedly. "We decided to ditch windbag Simmons and go out on our own, right, Phoebe?" She asked, urging Phoebe with her mind to agree with her. Phoebe nodded. "Uh, right, Helga. The lecture Mr. Simmons was giving was getting really boring." She answered. Gerald cocked an eyebrow at Phoebe. "Funny. You usually like that kind of stuff, Phoebe." He said. Phoebe chucked bashfully. She hated lying, especially to Gerald. Helga noticed the look Gerald gave her and quickly came to her friend's rescue. "What's it to you, Geraldo? Why's it any of your business what Phoebe does?" Gerald's eyes grew wide in fear as Helga approached him, her fist clenched. Gerald quickly backed behind Arnold. Helga sighed. "You're not even worth a fist fight. Anyway, what's your reason for ditching Simmons?" "Same as yours." Arnold answered. Helga shook her head and suddenly stiffened up as she heard wheezing behind her. She closed her eyes and quickly swung her left fist behind her shoulder, hitting Brainy in the face. Arnold saw this and quickly ran to Brainy's side. "Helga! Sheesh, what was the point of that?" He asked, helping Brainy to his feet. Helga shrugged and went to look at some pottery. "You okay, Brainy?" Arnold asked and Brainy nodded. "About time we found you five." Rhonda's voice rang clearly from the other side of the small room. Arnold looked up and saw her, Lila and Nadine standing next to the entrance. "You just had to take that many twists and turns. We almost lost you and ourselves." Helga turned around and glared at Lila. "I'm just ever so grateful we found you." Lila said. Helga looked at Arnold and saw him melt into her voice. "Oh brother." She whispered under her breath. "I dun know where they are. This really bites." The eight kids heard a voice calling from the other room. "Boy howdy. I think we're lost." A second voice called. "Maybe they went in here." A third voice said and Stinky, Sid and Harold walked into the room. Harold smiled smugly. "Told ya." He said putting his pudgy hands on his hips. "Oh, great." Gerald muttered. "Now we've got pretty much the whole class in here. "Arnold, what ever happened to being discrete?" Arnold shrugged. "Guess we all wanted to get away from Mr. Simmons." "Ouch!" A voice cried from the room Harold, Stinky and Sid had just come from. "I'm okay." "Great, now we've got Eugene coming." Gerald said just as Eugene, Sheena, Curly, Lorenzo and Iggy appeared. Arnold sighed. "Make that everyone in the entire class!" Gerald cried. "Actually, we're missing Park, Robert and Billy." Sheena said matter- of-factly. "But they're not coming. They actually like that whole history thing." From next to Helga, Phoebe blushed. Suddenly the lights went off and a few people screamed. Arnold tried to quiet everyone down. From next to him, Helga grunted. "EVERYONE SHUT UP!" She screamed. Suddenly the room fell silent and Helga pulled a flashlight out from her backpack, flipped it on and shinned it onto the kids, one at a time. "Criminey, you'd think this place was haunted. The museum probably blew a fuse so just shut up." She sighed and tossed the flashlight to Arnold. "Care to use your advice to get us out of here, Football Head?" She hissed. "Thanks, Helga." He spat back. "What we need to do is stick together. All we have to do is wait until." Suddenly four beams of light fell on the kids. A yellow beam fell on Arnold, Helga, Lila and Brainy. A blue beam fell on Gerald, Phoebe, Iggy and Lorenzo. A green beam fell on Rhonda, Nadine, Eugene, and Sheena. A red beam fell on Harold, Sid, Curly and Stinky. Sheena screamed as the kids were lifted off the ground and a black mist surrounded them. Arnold's eyes drooped as well as did the others. They all yawned and fell into unconsciousness.  
  
Arnold was the last to awaken from the smoke. He coughed and looked around. He and his friends were in a shadowed area where melting clocks that were ticking backwards were drooping from trees and hourglasses had sand running from the bottom up. Arnold groaned and rubbed his head. He looked around and saw a sign. "We're in a place called the Time Dimension." Gerald answered as Arnold looked towards the sign. Arnold looked up at his best friend and gasped. He looked at least sixteen. "Whoa!" Arnold cried and backed away. Gerald gave his friend a confused look and noted the age change. "Yeah, I know. Somehow we've aged to where we're all sixteen. Apparently this place changed all of us." Arnold looked around and saw Helga. He gasped at how gorgeous she was. She had her waist length hair tied up in a ponytail, held with her normal pink ribbon and bow. Her neck occupied a red choker. She had on a red tank top with a white heart in the center of it and she wore a pink and red jacket over it. Her jeans were pink bellbottoms that had white and red hearts traveling from the left pant leg up to her left hip. Her shoes were a pair of high-healed red boots. Arnold looked around and saw the rest of his classmates, all who looked about the age of sixteen, including Harold. Rhonda was wearing a dark red sleeveless dress. In her hair she had a black headband and jet earrings that dropped from her ears. Her shoes were a pair of black sandals with jet stones along the straps. Phoebe had her hair down from its usual hair tie. She wore a white blouse with a lavender jacket over it. She also had a light violet skirt on that reached down to her knees. Each of her wrists held a silver bracelet. Her shoes were a pair of lavender open toed sandals and on her right toe she had a silver toe ring. Her ears held a pair of rhinestone earrings. Nadine had on a pair of light blue hip hugger jeans, a cerulean blue sleeveless t-shirt and a pair of baby blue sneakers with cerulean blue laces. Her hair was in its normal style but instead of being held with pink barrettes, it was held with blue barrettes. Lila had on a sleeveless summer dress and a straw hat. Her feet held a pair of flip-flops and her wrists had at least three gold bracelets on each wrist. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and braided neatly and tied off with a light green ribbon. Sheena wore an olive green t-shirt that reached down to her mid thighs and a pair of bellbottom blue jeans with flower prints. Her hair was short and pulled back in two barrettes. Arnold looked at himself. He wore a pair of dark blue jeans, a blue shirt with a black "A" on the front and black sneakers. He quickly felt the top of his head and found his hat. He breathed a sigh of relief, never wanting to part with his classic trademark item that his parents gave him before they disappeared. He looked at his friends and noticed they all had on different outfits. Gerald had on a red t-shirt with a pair of dark blue shorts, and red and blue tennis shoes. Around his forehead he wore a bandana. Harold had on a loose fitting blue t-shirt, khaki slacks and a blue ball cap. Basically he looked almost identical to his younger counterpart. Stinky had on an olive green shirt and black slacks. He wore a pair of beaten up old tennis shoes. Iggy had on a purple sweater over a golden yellow t-shirt. His slacks were a dusty orange color and his shoes were black sneakers. Eugene wore a pair of regular blue jeans and a white t-shirt. Sid had of course, his regular beetle boots on along with a black t-shirt, a leather jacket, and a pair of dark blue jeans. Brainy had on a mustard yellow sweater and khaki slacks. Lorenzo had on a white t-shirt under a blue jean vest. Like Brainy, he had on khaki slacks. Curly wore an identical outfit to his younger counterpart. Arnold shook his head again, trying to soak up everyone and their surroundings. Suddenly, a puff of white smoke erupted from the ground, less than ten feet away from where Arnold was sitting. The sixteen kids gasped as they saw an older looking man in a white robe approach them. He had a long white beard that reached down to his navel and a devious looking white mustache. His eyes were slanted, like that of a cat's. He smiled warmly at the kids. "Welcome, young students of PS: 118. You may be wondering what you are doing here." Sixteen heads nodded in unison. The man chuckled. "Let me introduce myself. I am Professor Emit, the master of all time and space. Some of you may know me as father time. You broke away from your learning group to go off in search of something more fun to do than to listen to boring lectures. I have decided to bring you to the Time Dimension so you may continue your search of a more energetic learning experience. I will split you into four groups of four." Suddenly, a yellow light fell upon Arnold, Helga, Brainy and Lila. A blue light hit Gerald, Phoebe, Lorenzo and Iggy. A green light hit Nadine, Rhonda, Eugene, and Sheena. And finally, a red light fell upon Stinky, Sid, Harold and Curly. Professor Emit smiled again. "Team Yellow will be given the assignment of Pearl Harbor. Team Blue will have the September 11th bombings. Team Green will have the signing of the Declaration of Independence. And Team Red will have the Martin Luther King speech at the Lincoln Memorial. You will be given two days to do this assignment in that time, while here in the current world, you will only be gone for two hours." Professor Emit held up a crooked wooden staff and the kids screamed as they became transparent and finally disappeared. 


	2. Chapter 2: Bombings, Signings and Speech...

Operation: Kids In America Chapter 2: Bombings, Signings and Speeches, Oh My!  
  
"You just had to leave Mr. Simmons, didn't you, Football Head? Now, thanks to you wanting to ditch, we're all stuck here for two days!" Helga screamed. Arnold sighed and glanced over at his friends. Helga wore a white shirt tied on one side and a pair of pink shorts and pink flip-flops. Her hair was down and gracefully gliding off her shoulders. Arnold wore a pair of plaid red shorts and a dark green tee with sunglasses. Lila wore a green shirt with light green shorts and green sandals with her light green hair ribbons. Brainy wore a mustard yellow pair of shorts with a white tee and yellow sandals. "No thanks to you and your stupid football headed ways, we're lost!" Arnold glared at the girl. "Who said you had to follow me?" He shouted. Helga narrowed her eyes and threw a fist at him, which he easily dodged. She scowled and threw a second punch. He easily dodged again and caught her wrist. "For someone who's supposed to be good at fighting, I'd hate to say it, Helga, but you fight like a little girl." "Don't call me little!" Helga growled deeply in her throat and she threw another punch at him, which again he easily dodged. "Arnold, Helga, please!" Lila said, stepping in-between them before they got into a huge fist fight. "This is oh so not appropriate." Helga shot Lila a look that could kill. "Back off, Ms. Goody-Too- Shoes." She hissed, her voice dripping with venom. Lila backed away and glanced over to a bunch of bushes with Hibiscus flowers on them. "Football Head and I have a score to settle." "Um, I do ever so hate to interrupt but we're actually only feet away from civilization." Arnold released Helga's wrist and the two watched as Lila parted the bushes to reveal a shipyard. Arnold snuffed at Helga and followed Lila out to the docks. Helga huffed and put her hands on her hips. "Arnold. What a dork. How I hate him." She looked around and quickly ran off to hide behind a tree. "And yet," she whispered, taking out her locket, "I love him. His perfect form as not only a child but as a teenager, the way his voice melts over my ears, the way his warm hand touched my undeserving wrist. Maybe, with our outer appearances changed, Arnold can see the true woman behind the mask and I can finally tell him how I." She stopped abruptly as she heard wheezing behind her. She sighed and threw her fist into Brainy's face, knocking him out. "Boys are so stupid." She muttered under her breath as she grabbed Brainy's wrist and dragged him towards the docks. She groaned at his weight as they approached Lila and Arnold. "Wow, Arnold, it's just ever so beautiful here. I wonder where we are." Lila sighed softly. Arnold smiled and inched closer to be near her. His smile widened and he brought a red and yellow hibiscus up to her face. She gasped and took the flower between her hands. "Oh, Arnold, it's ever so beautiful, but as I've told you a thousand times before, I don't like you like you, I just like you." Arnold sighed and slumped over, sitting on a tree trunk. Helga growled and hissed under her breath. "Arnold thinks he can get away with giving little Miss Perfect a flower and me nothing? Well, we'll just see how much Lila likes this old place when she gets herself into a ocean of trouble." Helga sneered and dropped Brainy's wrist. Quickly she walked over to Lila and pretended to lose her balance. Lila noticed her behavior and moved out of the way just as Helga tried to push her in the water. Instead of Lila going in, Helga really did lose her balance and fell into the cold water. She shrieked out loud and the remaining three teenagers ran up to the edge of the dock. "Helga?" Arnold asked as her head bobbed above the water. "You, don't say anything." She instructed to Arnold. He chuckled. "You okay, kid?" A voice called from behind Lila. The three turned around and looked at a Captain in the Navy. He smiled warmly and walked towards the edge of the pier. He kneeled down and offered a hand to Helga. "Shouldn't be playing around here." He said. "My name's Captain Warren." He hoisted Helga up onto dry land. "Thanks, Captain Warren." She said, shooting a glare at Lila. Lila smiled mischievously at Helga. Lila turned to face the Captain. "Um, I do beg your pardon, sir, but do you happen to know where we are?" Helga scowled at her attitude towards new comers. Captain Warren cocked an eyebrow. "You don't know where you are?" He asked. The four teenagers shook their heads. "You're in Hawaii's Pearl Harbor of course." He answered. "PEARL HARBOR!" Arnold, Lila and Helga screamed while Brainy fainted. Lila quickly ran towards him and tried to wake him up. Helga groaned lightly and turned to Arnold. "We got stuck with Pearl Harbor." She muttered. Arnold nodded, also groaning. Captain Warren chuckled. "Usually tourists like visiting the islands. You kids sure are unique." Lila stood up after Brainy had regained consciousness. "Sir, could you please tell us what today's date is?" She asked. Captain Warren looked curiously at her. "Don't know where you are and don't know the date? Where'd you kids come from? A parallel universe?" Arnold and Helga chuckled lightly at each other. "Today's the fifth of December, 1949." Helga squeaked in fear while Arnold's face paled. Lila began to tremble and Brainy fainted again. "Anyway, I'd better get back to my ship. You kids be careful." He said and left the four shocked teenagers. Brainy groaned as he sat up and rubbed the back of his head. Helga scowled. "Well, if we're going to be for two measly days we might as well book a hotel room or something so we don't die of heat stroke around here." "I agree." Helga's harsh scowl turned into a secret smile as Arnold agreed with her for the first time since she could remember. Arnold sighed and swung his backpack from off his shoulder and looked inside for as much money as possible. "What the f-?" "Arnold!" Lila shouted causing Arnold to stop in mid sentence. "I was going to say 'fudge', Lila!" Arnold answered, scornfully. "What is it, Arnold?" Helga asked, kneeling down next to him. "All my school supplies are missing." Helga grabbed his backpack from him and looked inside. Instead of his average school supplies, she found four yellow notebooks, four yellow pens, four yellow pencils, and a yellow wallet with a ton of money inside. "What's in there, Helga?" Arnold asked, snapping Helga's attention away from all the money. "See for yourself." She answered, shoving the backpack in the others' directions. The remaining three gasped at how much money was in the wallet. Arnold sighed and took out a sheet of yellow paper and handed it over to Helga. "Fine, I'll read it!" She snapped, snatching the paper away from him. "Arnold, Helga, Lila and Brainy, you are to use this money for food, clothing, other necessary items, and to rent a four person cabin. I know how much everything costs so I have given you exactly that amount. You are to not use this money for anything else. Professor Emit." Helga blew her hair from her eyes. "What else does he think we're going to do with this money?" "Helga!" Lila shouted. "You pervert!" Arnold narrowed an eye at Helga, scanning her. She blushed furiously. "I meant like the movies or something else like that! Sheesh, talk about perverts!" Arnold and Brainy chuckled softly, which made both girls glare at them. Helga turned her back on the group. "Stupid Libra." She muttered under her breath but loud enough for Lila to hear. "Stupid Aries." She growled. Arnold and Brainy sighed, shaking their heads. Arnold didn't know why, but Helga hated Lila and Lila hated Helga. "Girls are so weird." He said, turning to Brainy. Suddenly a rock zoomed by his head, just barely getting his ear. He turned and saw Helga, picking up another rock, ready to throw it.  
  
Phoebe screeched and jumped into Gerald's arms as a car zoomed by, nearly hitting her. Gerald held her tightly and looked after the car as Iggy shook his fist. "Stupid! Come back here and try that again!" He screamed, running after the car until he reached the end of the block. He sighed as the car drove out of sight and he walked back to the group. "New Yorkers." He groaned. Lorenzo cried out, agitated. "Damn cell phone." "Lorenzo! There is a lady present." Iggy shouted to his friend. "It's okay, Iggy." Phoebe said. "Not like I haven't heard Helga saying that before. What's the problem, Lorenzo?" "Stupid cell phone went dead. It must be some kind of weird connection." He said, and turned to face Phoebe and Gerald, who were still embraced in each other's arms. "And speaking of weird connections." Gerald and Phoebe looked at each other and blushed, breaking away. "Something you two haven't told us?" Gerald shook his head and Phoebe looked away, blushing. "Uh, guys. Did anyone happen to notice what we're wearing." Iggy asked. Phoebe wore a light blue skirt with a red sweater that said "American Pride" and white shoes with flags on the ankles. Gerald wore a pair of light blue jeans, and a red shirt that said "Proud to be An American" with white sneakers with eagles on the side in front of a flag. Iggy wore a blue shirt that says "America - Home of the Free" in front of a huge American flag and blue jeans and white sneakers with fireworks on the ankles. Lorenzo wore a white shirt with a red vest over it that says, "Land that I Love" across the pockets and blue jeans and white sneakers with a flag on the ankles. "Assuming we're actually in New York, and considering our clothes, I'd say we're doing our report on the September 11th bombings. And from what Professor Emit told us about how we'd be in the area for two days, I'd think it's safe to say today's September 9th." Phoebe concluded. "Great, so we got the 9/11 bombings. Now what do we do for room and board, clothes, and food?" Iggy answered. "That's my department." Lorenzo said and reached for his backpack, only to realize it disappeared. In fact, all the kids' backpacks were gone, with the exception of Phoebe's. Phoebe reached down and picked up her backpack. "Um, guys, apparently, all my school supplies have disappeared and been replaced with these." She said and showed the boys: four blue notebooks, four blue pens and four blue pencils. Lorenzo opened a side pocket and pulled out a blue wallet with a ton of money inside. "Guess we gotta find a hotel or something." Gerald said and opened a notebook, finding about ten suggestions for hotels on the inside cover. "Well," he said plainly, "that takes care of that." The group nodded and called a cab to take them to the hotel.  
  
"Oh God, Eugene. Can't you go one minute without tripping over a rock?" Rhonda yelled. "Rhonda, it's not Eugene's fault he didn't see that rock." Sheena said gently, helping Eugene to stand up. "Oh shut up! This whole thing is a big pain in the -" "Rhonda!" Nadine cried. "You shut up too!" She screamed at her best friend. "I hate this place! The dirt! The dust! Our screwed up costumes." She cried, showing the other three teenagers her clothes. Rhonda wore a long red dress with puffy sleeves and a matching red bonnet. Her feet occupied black boots. Nadine and Sheena wore identical outfits to Rhonda, only Nadine's was brown and Sheena's was a sea green. Eugene wore a tan two-piece suit with a white shirt underneath and a tan necktie. His shoes were black hiking boots. "I want to go home!" She shouted, stomping her foot in the ground, accidentally missing the ground and placing it in horse droppings. She lifted her foot and made a disgusted face. "Eww!" She screamed, quickly stamping her foot in the dirt. "Oh, relax, Rhonda. We have the easiest assignment of all. We have the Declaration of Independence." Sheena said. "How do you know that, Sheena?" Nadine asked, looking around. "Personally I feel like we're in a real western movie, like one of those movies with the Duke in them or something." "It's obvious, Nadine." Eugene answered. "Professor Emit said the green team would be doing the Declaration and if you look in your backpack you'll see everything in there is green." Nadine opened her backpack. Sure enough there were four green notebooks, four green pens, four green pencils, and enough money to last them for two days. "I'd say we book a motel over there." Sheena said, pointing to a motel across the street next to a Salon. "Eww! It probably has bugs and dirt and ghosts in there." Rhonda said. The others groaned and pulled her towards the motel. "Come on, Rhonda." They all answered, dragging her to the motel.  
  
Harold's stomach growled. "Oh, I'm starving." He complained. Curly and Stinky immediately agreed. "Well, we could go to the local diner and get something to eat. Apparently, we're in the past where five dollars went pretty far." Sid said and handed each boy five dollars from his backpack. The four boys ran towards the nearest diner and sat in a booth. "What can I do ya for, gentlemen?" A pretty waitress asked. She had long brown hair and a deep southern accent, close to that of Stinky's. Stinky smiled flirtingly. "Well, howdy there, m'lady." He said, leaning on his forearm. She smiled back at him, staring at him with a look in her eyes. "Hi." She said in a singsong voice. "I'll have a double deluxe cheeseburger with a side of fries, not too hot, and a giant chocolate milkshake." The girl, who looked like a teenager herself, smiled, taking Harold's order. "Chicken strips and a coke for me." Sid said, putting down the menu. "Same here, only make mine a Pepsi." Curly answered. The waitress quickly took down their orders. "How bout you, handsome?" She asked, directing the order to Stinky. "Just a hamburger and a strawberry shake and some of your finest lemon pudding." "On the way, sugar." She smiled and turned, flaunting her skirt around her hips. Stinky followed her movements with his eyes, blushing as she disappeared behind a door. "Stinky's got a crush on someone." Harold mocked. Stinky sighed, and nodded. "Get outta here, Nigga!" A man's voice called as the door to the diner opened and an old black man walked inside. The four boys turned and saw a big white man throw a beer bottle at the poor old black man. Another white man approached the black man and started punching him. The black man grunted and started to cry as he was thrown to the floor. Stinky narrowed his eyes. "Hey!" He cried out loud, standing up. From behind the counter, the waitress watched intently as Stinky walked over to the black man. "You okay there, mister?" He asked, helping the old man stand up. The huge white man approached Stinky and grabbed him by the collar. Stinky's eyes narrowed. "Who do ya'll think ya'll are?" He asked. "I'm the here owner of this diner, and anyone who sticks up for a nigger oughtta be roasted alive by the KKK." The man answered, throwing Stinky into the floor. Stinky slid across the tiles and banged his head on the table. "That whole Klu Klux Klan is a bunch of horse shit!" Stinky cried, which made Harold, Sid and Curly gasp. "What's your name, boy?" "Stinky Peterson." Stinky bravely answered. The man picked up Stinky by the collar again and threw him against the wall, nearly knocking Stinky out. Suddenly the waitress ran up to the owner and gripped his arm. "Daddy, don't hurt 'im. He don't mean no harm." Stinky's heart sank in his chest. The girl he had just fallen for was the daughter of someone who was racist. "Back off, girl." The man said, slapping his daughter. Stinky's blood filled with rage and he kneed the man hard in the stomach. "Harold, Sid, Curly, run!" Stinky shouted. Harold and Sid quickly grabbed the black man and ran outside the restaurant. Stinky freed himself from the grasp of the man as he curled over, holding his stomach. The girl quickly ran outside after Stinky. Stinky gasped and rubbed his throat when he and the rest of his friends were safely in an alley way far from the restaurant.. The girl approached him and turned his face to examine it. "Sorry 'bout that, uh, Stinky was it?" Stinky nodded. "Daddy doesn't like black people, but I myself have no hatred for them. My mama was black, and when she died, Daddy started to hate 'em. My name's Emmy Mae." Stinky blushed. "Nice ta meet ya, Miss Emmy Mae." He said, taking Emmy Mae's hand in his. The two looked up at each other and smiled, as their faces slowly inched closer together. "Stinky, we need your help." Sid said, as the older black man groaned. Stinky quickly snapped out of his trance and knelt down to tend to the man's wounds. "It's okay, sir. Stinky here has been trained in Red Cross first aid. There isn't a wound known he can't heal." Stinky blushed and took out a first aid kit from Sid's backpack. "Just hang on a minute, mister." He said, wrapping a cloth bandage around a huge gash in the man's arm. "There, now keep that on your arm for now and we'll check up on it in the morning. For now, we have to find a place to stay." "I can put ya'll up somewhere." Emmy Mae answered, grabbing Stinky's arm. He blushed. "There's a safe house for people like ya'll who help the black folks. It's just around the corner. It's supposed to be condemned, but since it's a city landmark, it can't be torn down so the Anti-KKK folk have taken up residence in there. It's the old theater down on Main Street." She paused. "If ya'll wanna, ya can come with me and Mr. Hart there," she pointed at the old man, "down to the Lincoln Memorial in two days for Mr. King's speech." Stinky leapt at the offer. "We'd love ta, Miss Emmy Mae." He said, winking at his three friends. 


	3. Chapter 3: Writing the Reports

Operation: Kids In America Chapter 3: Writing the Reports  
  
Helga screamed and held herself for comfort as the ground shook underneath the four teenagers' feet. The day of the bombings had arrived and they were stuck in the middle of the whole thing. Arnold looked up and pointed to a huge group of American planes as they zoomed by, creating a deafening sound. The four screamed again as another bomb exploded, shaking the trees. Captain Warren ran towards them and ushered them into a bomb shelter. "You stay in there!" He ordered strictly and shut the shelter door. Arnold grunted as he tripped, accidentally landing on top of Helga, knocking the two into the side of the shelter. She blushed as she felt his warm breath touching her cheek. "Sorry, Helga." She heard him whisper. Suddenly another bomb exploded, shaking the shelter. Helga screamed and suddenly found her breath being sucked out of her as she felt Arnold's arms wrap protectively around her waist, hugging her. She whimpered softly and buried her face into his shoulder, tears of sadness flowing from her eyes. "Arnold, I." The world seemed to stop as another bomb exploded, this one nearer than ever to their shelter. The four teenagers all lost their balance and fell to the ground. Helga grunted as Arnold fell on top of her. She blushed and hugged him tightly. He smiled and covered her body, protecting her. "Arnold, I have to tell you something." Helga said, her voice barely a whisper. "Can't it wait?" Arnold asked. Suddenly the bombs stopped and the world stopped shaking. Arnold blushed and pushed himself off of Helga. They looked at each other and blushed. Slowly, the four teenagers rose to their feet and Arnold slowly opened the door to the shelter. Outside American planes were chasing the Japanese planes away from a destroyed Pearl Harbor. "Whoa." Arnold gasped, taking everything in. Helga nodded and looked around. "It's like we just stepped into a huge pile of ashes." She whispered, walking outside after Arnold. Lila followed and nodded. Brainy gasped and nodded. The four gasped as they felt a huge brush of cold wind fill their lungs and temporally cause them to close their eyes. Arnold's arms quickly found their way to Helga's shoulders and waist again and he held her closely. Helga clutched Arnold's shirt and tears started to form in her eyes. Suddenly, just as it had come, the wind stopped blowing and the kids found themselves in a small classroom with yellow wallpaper, four desks, four yellow apple Pentium 3 processors, a huge encyclopedia section in the back of the classroom, four matching printers to the Pentium 3 processors, and a huge map in front of the chalkboard. Arnold walked over to the chalkboard and flipped the map up to reveal a message. "You have to write your report on the causes, effects, and feelings of the bombings of Pearl Harbor. Each member of your team must do an equal amount of work. Begin." Lila read. The four looked at each other and scrambled towards a computer, researching as much as they could and writing on their feelings.  
  
Phoebe covered her mouth as she watched the twin towers fall to the ground. She could almost hear Taps being played. "So many people are loosing their lives." She whispered. Gerald nodded and turned away from the group, wiping tears from his eyes. Lorenzo, however, didn't care who saw him and began to sob uncontrollably. Iggy's eyes were covered by his sunglasses, but Phoebe could tell he was crying. Thousands of sirens filled their ears. The four teenagers watched as about thirty ambulances came barreling down the street, their sirens wailing. Behind them about fifty more police cars appeared, followed by at least another fifty ambulances. Gerald rubbed his eyes and saw three Red Cross bloodmobiles appear, shaking the ground as they hit the cracks in the road. Suddenly a huge gust of wind blew by and forced the four teenagers to close their eyes. When they opened them they found themselves in a classroom with a huge set of encyclopedias in the back of the classroom, four blue desks, four blue Pentium 3 processors, four matching printers, and finally a map in front of a chalkboard. Gerald moved the map over so the other three could see the message. Iggy cleared his throat and read the message. "Begin writing your report as soon as you finish reading this. You must all do equal amount of work. Write about the causes, effects, and your feelings on the Twin Tower's collapse."  
  
"This is amazing!" Sheena whispered as Thomas Jefferson picked up a feather pen and signed his name. John Hancock smiled and took the pen next, signing his name. Finally Benjamin Franklin took the pen from John and signed his name to the document. "Well," Thomas Jefferson said, his voice clear and loud so everyone in the entire room could hear, "our Declaration of Independence is born!" Everyone in the room cheered. Slowly, everyone in the room began to leave. Sheena smiled and walked out of the courtroom. "That was incredible." She said, her voice trembling. Rhonda rolled her eyes. "It was okay." She admitted. "Okay?" Nadine asked, getting hysterical. "This is a part of history! This changes our entire lifestyle. We were lucky we witnessed it!" "I still think history is a major bore. It's all dates and facts and other boring crap like that." "Rhonda!" The remaining three cried. "What?" Eugene sighed and turned away. He screamed as he tripped over a feeding stall and watering bucket for horses. "Oh," he moaned, "I'm okay. No harm done." "Oh, Eugene!" Sheena cried and ran over to him. The remaining two girls sighed and ran towards their friends. Suddenly a huge gust of wind blew past them, causing the four to close their eyes. "Damn wind!" Rhonda cursed loudly and tried to protect her hair. "Why do all the elements always work against me?" "Rhonda, shut up and open your eyes!" Nadine shrieked. Rhonda uncovered her head and slowly opened her eyes to find she was standing safely on the floor of a classroom. She cleared her throat and stood up, brushing herself off. "I knew that." She muttered. The four teens looked around. On the far corner of the room stood a bookshelf with a huge set of encyclopedias. On the closer corner of the room were four green Pentium 3 processors and four matching printers. In the center of the classroom were four green desks, facing one another. On the closest wall was a map of the United States. Sheena pushed the map aside and read from the board. "Begin after reading this message: What was the significance of the signings of the Declaration of Independence and why do we celebrate July 4th every year? Also explain how you felt about the signing of the Declaration of Independence. All students must give an equal amount of information."  
  
Stinky's heart filled with pride as he watched Martin Luther King give his speech. Harold yawned, not too particularly fond of the whole speech thing. Sid leaned against the steps to the Lincoln memorial while Curly had to control himself to keep from dashing around the stage, yelling at everyone who was racist. Finally the speech was over, and everyone in front of the Lincoln Memorial cheered. Stinky smiled as his hand closed around Emmy Mae's hand. Suddenly a gust of wind picked up, temporally blinding Stinky, Sid, Harold, and Curly. Stinky felt his heart break as he opened his eyes and found himself in a classroom with four red processors, printers, desks, a set of encyclopedias and a map in front of a chalkboard. He looked around and noticed he was back in his original time, or as close to original he could get. He sighed, heartbroken and looked at the board. "What happened to the blacks before Martin Luther King gave his speech? What would life be like today if he never gave his speech? All team members must contribute an equal amount of information. Begin now." He read, reluctantly. Slowly he and the other three boys walked to the computers and began to type their reports.  
  
Two hours later, the kids all found themselves standing in the Time Dimension in their groups. Each team captain had their team's reports in their hands. Professor Emit approached a huge machine and called the captains over to him. Slowly, Arnold, Phoebe, Sid and Sheena approached and handed their reports to the professor. He smiled and put their papers in different colored slots. Within seconds a soft beep rang through his ears and the reports appeared in a neat stack on top of the machine, with their grades on the first sheet. Professor Emit smiled and turned to the group. "Congratulations, all of you. Not only have you learned something, but also now you have your reports for Mr. Simmons already to go. Now, I figure I should tell you a little about myself. As you all know, I am Father Time, and I'll be watching you sixteen for some time to come, so I suggest you never again leave in the middle of a history lesson." 


	4. Chapter 4: Reports and Going Home

Operation: Kids In America Chapter 4: Reports and Going Home  
  
All sixteen kids nodded and the captains returned to their respective group. Professor Emit smiled and held up a staff. Suddenly, a waterfall of shooting stars and crescent moons erupted out of the end of the staff and all over the kids. They screamed as their feet were lifted from the ground and they started to de-age. Helga screamed a blood-curling wail and gasped as she felt a pair of arms wrap around her. She smiled and looked into Arnold's eyes. He smiled back and grunted as they landed on a tiled floor. "Where are we?" Lorenzo asked. "It appears we're back in the museum." Phoebe stated, looking around. "That was weird." Gerald said. "Uh.yeah." Brainy wheezed. "And speaking of weird." Lila muttered and pointed to Arnold and Helga, who were still lying on the ground, embraced in each other's arms. Harold, Rhonda and Gerald gave them a look. "Go get a room. That's oh so much visual interaction, even if this a museum." Lila hissed. Everyone turned their gaze towards her and she blushed, shutting her mouth. Arnold blushed and helped Helga to her feet. "Sorry about that, Helga. I just.reacted." He whispered softly. "Just caught up in the moment?" She asked back. "Yeah. It's not like it meant anything, right?" He asked. She smiled and nodded. "Right. I mean, please, you and me? Never in a million years." "Yeah."  
  
Helga glanced out the window from the detention room. All sixteen had gotten detention, phone calls home and to top it all off, had to clean the cafeteria, bathrooms, and auditorium for the remainder of the year. Helga sighed as she saw a bunch of cars outside rushing by the school. She smiled and turned to Arnold who smiled back at her.  
  
Looking out a dirty old window Down below the cars In the city go rushing by I sit here alone and I wonder why  
  
Friday night and everyone's moving I can feel the heat but it's soothing Heading down I search for the beat in the dirty town  
  
Downtown the young ones are growing Downtown the young ones are growing We're the kids in America, oh We're the kids in America, oh Everybody live for the music go round  
  
Later that day, Helga walked downtown and spotted two sixteen-year- old girls walking into a teen club. She smiled as two boys followed behind them. She sighed and glanced around, and noticing no one was around, she ducked behind a corner and pulled out her gold locket. "Oh, Arnold. Can we never be like those couples, happy and partying? You are my soul, my inspiration, my love, my dedication. I love you. I always have, and I always will. " "Helga?" Helga screeched and quickly hid her locket in her dress just as Arnold turned the corner and glanced at her. "Who ya talking to?" He asked. Helga chuckled abashedly. "Uh, no one, Football Head. Just reciting some.lines! Yeah, that's it. Lines for some play I'm auditioning for. What's it you anyway and why are you down here? Last time I checked, you lived in the other neighborhood!" Arnold shook his head. "What ever you say, Helga." He smiled and turned. Helga pouted and turned to face the other direction. Her eyes lowered to the sidewalk and slowly closed. She gasped as she felt something touch her cheek. Her eyes widened and she looked at Arnold. "Don't ever say I didn't thank you, Helga." Helga touched her cheek where Arnold had kissed her. "For what?" She asked, clearly confused. "For being you." He replied. "See you."  
  
Bright lights, the music gets faster Look boy; don't check on your watch Not another glance I'm not leaving now, honey, not a chance  
  
Hot shot you give me no problems Much later baby you'll be saying never mind You know life is cruel Life is never kind  
  
Kind hearts don't make a new story Kind hearts don't grab any glory We're the kids in America, oh We're the kids in America, oh Everybody live for the music go round  
  
Helga turned restlessly in her sleep. She smiled and kicked the covers off her body. In her mind, a dream was occurring, a dream where she and the other kids from PS: 118 were in high school and on a field trip in California. Back in real life Helga smiled. "I love you, Arnold." She whispered. Back in her dream, the sun set on the beach as Arnold and Helga kissed each other gently on the lips.  
  
Come closer, honey, that's better Gotta gain a brand new experience Feeling right Oh, don't try to stop baby  
  
New York to California Here's the news we're coming we ya We're the kids in America, oh We're the kids in America, oh Everybody live for the music go round  
  
We're the kids, we're the kids, we're the kids in America  
  
Arnold smiled as he dreamed the same dream Helga was. Below, in the streets, a truck zoomed by, waking Arnold up. He yawned and grabbed a blue jacket, slowly walking up his ladder out onto the roof. He looked down in the streets and noticed a huge truck whiz by. "Future Tech Industries?" He questioned himself as he read the logo on the side of the truck. "I'm getting a really bad feeling about this." He whispered into the night. Below his window, hidden in the shadows, a figure pulled a brown trench coat tightly around its body. A third truck whooshed by, blowing up city sidewalk trash. "Future Tech Industries?" The figure whispered in a deep voice. "They're up to no good. Something is going to happen very soon. Something big." The figure had no idea how right they were.  
  
We're the kids; we're the kids, kids in America We're the kids; we're the kids, we're the kids in America We're the kids; we're the kids, we're the kids in America We're the kids; we're the kids, we're the kids in America 


End file.
